While OLED TVs aren’t new, companies have been struggling to mass produce larger models because of technology constraints. OLED TVs have more vivid displays than existing liquid crystal display models and enable companies to produce TVs with screens as thin as 4 millimeters.

However, analysts don’t’ expect brisk sales because they cost twice as much as a similar LCD TV.

LG first announced its plan to mass produce large-panel OLED TVs more than a year ago, and the lag suggests the world’s second-largest maker of TVs encountered difficulties in bringing its plan to fruition.

LG Electronics’ retail stores in South Korea will start taking orders this week for 55-inch OLED TVs, which are priced at 11 million won ($10,340) each.

“This is more for show,” than boosting revenue, Hana Daetoo Securities analyst S.H. Chun said Wednesday, because the high price tag will deter many consumers from buying LG’s 55-inch OLED TV.

Samsung, the world’s top TV maker, already dominates the market for smaller-size OLED displays used in smartphones and other mobile devices, and the two Korean companies have been competing to launch 55-inch OLED television sets.

“With this OLED TV and the 84-inch ultra high-definition TV that LG released in August, the company will solidify its image as a front-runner in high definition TVs,” Choi Sang-gyu, the head of LG Electronics’ Korean marketing division, said in a statement.

LG said it will disclose the launch dates and prices for foreign markets over the next several weeks, while Samsung has yet to announce a sales date.

Mr. Chun said it’s too early to predict whether OLEDs will replace LCDs as LG’s main strategic tool in terms of display technology.

“This is significant in that it is proof of mass production,” he said.

Japanese firms Sony Corp Panasonic Corp.Sharp Corp., and Toshiba Corp. have spent years developing OLED technology and are struggling to commercialize it. In an attempt to close the gap on their Korean rivals, Sony and Panasonic—which were bitter rivals–agreed to an alliance in June to jointly develop OLED production technology.

Because of the technological difficulties in mass producing large-size OLED displays, many manufacturers seem to remain focused on ultra high-definition televisions, which promise four times the resolution of existing high definition LCD TVs.

Last year, LG launched the world’s largest UHDTV, which was priced around $23,000. UHDTVs are likely to be a hot topic at next week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and many analysts expect Samsung to unveil an 85-inch UHDTV TV at the event.